Best Tents for Bike Touring | Experts Pick 2019

Last Updated onJuly 1, 2019

Isn’t it amazing to ride on a bike and see the world? It’s like having two wings on your own. You are free like a bird. Bike touring is simply the coolest. You get to inhale the fresh air, keep the body fit, enjoy the serene roadside view and add almost no toxicity to the air. Bike touring plan always revolves around the bike.

How good is your bike and cycling gear? It’s super important to select the best bike for a long tour. But you shouldn’t forget that you will also need an excellent tent that goes well with your bike touring.

There are some key features that we think is appropriate for the Eco-friendly tour-

Light as a feather: Lighter the tent, better the tour. Cycling is great and enjoyable but it is also an arduous thing to do. So you obviously want to lose as much weight as possible. An ultra-light tent should be your priority.

Easy setup: Bike touring means a solo journey. You have to do everything by yourself. So you better not waste a lot of time setting up a tent.

Compact size: A bike doesn’t have a lot of free space. So you will be looking for a small compact tent. It also looks cool to have a compact tent.

Flexible: Your tent should be as flexible as your bike. Smooth camping is as much necessary as a smooth ride.

Dark color: You may fancy a bright color. The problem is wild animal also fancy bright color. So in order to avoid attention, I think you should choose a dark color.

Best Tents for Bike Touring

Now that we discussed the features of a bike-friendly tent, we scroll over some of the best bike touring tents and see for ourselves why those tents are the best.

The tent is integrated with bike. The bike’s
front wheel is being used instead of poles.

The tent is for three seasons.

Floor:
70D 210T taffeta nylon with 3000mm polyurethane.

Fly: 70D 190T ripstop nylon with 2500mm
polyurethane.

Canopy: 45D 210T ripstop nylon with 2500mm
polyurethane.

Weight is only 2.98 pounds.

Topeak Bikamper One-Person Bicycling Tent simply fits the bill. It’s so light that you almost feel nothing. It’s compact and packs into a small bag. The tent is biker friendly in every way. It’s cool to carry, very easy and quick to set up and well-constructed for the bad weather.

The amazing thing is its integrated design. Instead of tent poles, you use your bike and its front wheel for stability. The tent is made of urethane-coated ripstop nylon which is fully water resistant. Moreover, completely waterproofed 70D ripstop nylon fly will keep you dry from heavy rain.

Topeak Bikamper is a three season tent. The tent’s inside is enough for a single person. There are three mesh panels for ventilation and outside view. There is a door right side of the tent. The tent is doing great against strong windy weather. The inside remains warm enough. One thing you must not forget that the tent is compatible with 26″ wheeled ATB or 700 hybrids/road bikes. It’s not suitable for a fat tire bike.

Topeak Bikamper is stylishly and smartly designed. It will change the total outlook of your tour. It has all the cool features for a solo biking tour. You will feel ready more than ever on your journey. Topeak Bikamper is waiting for all the adventure loving biker for a wild ride.

Naturehike Trekking Pole is another dashing tent for the bikers. It’s very lightweight, lighter than Topeak Bikamper. Setup is as easy as a solo backpacking tent should be. Design is very up to date. It fits just perfectly with the bike. It’s nicely crafted. Construction is sturdy and well thought.

The materials that are being used for the tents are really great in quality and durable in nature. Full mesh inner tent and 2 ventilation windows are for ventilation. They also prevent creating condensation. So don’t worry about air circulation. Sewing quality is also pretty good. To ensure waterproofing, it’s sewing with taped sealed seams.

It’s a triangle shaped tent. The only major problem is the interior space of the tent. It’s not so roomy for a big guy. But the tent is designed for solo backpackers. So they wanted to design the tent as compact as possible. That’s why they can’t afford a bigger room. Other than that, I think the tent is perfect. It’s not going to disappoint you in ghastly weather. There is plenty of airflow inside the room. So the narrow space should not be that much of an issue.

Anyway, I find this tent
fantastic. It goes so well with the bike. Price is reasonably affordable.

Interior space is increased by 15% by triangulated volumizing guy-outs.

Light Pockets modify headlamp for soothing interior lighting.

Built for one person/two person

Weight: 1 Person: 2 lbs. / 900 g, 2 Person: 2 lbs 5 oz

Nemo Hornet is a dream tent for the trekkers. It’s an ultra-light freestanding tent with smart design and brilliant engineering. It is one of the most stylish and lightest tents in the market. As it’s a freestanding tent, you can place it almost anywhere you want. The tent is constructed to handle any kind of rough weather. True tub floor construction makes its floor hundred percent waterproof.

The tent is well tested in ghastly weather. Inside of the tent is enough room for a lightweight backpacking tent. Even a big guy wouldn’t find the tent small for sleeping. Volumizing guy-outs pull the sidewalls of the inner tent outward by connecting the inner tent to the rainfly. It increases the inner space by 15%.

To ensure more privacy, there is white No-See-Um Mesh at the side of the tent while for stargazing, there is black mesh at the top turns. Light Pockets modifies headlamp into a tent lantern to create soothing interior lighting. There are two large doors for comfortable entry/exit and two vestibules for gear coverage. Its biker friendly and most importantly you can bring one of your biker friends with you. There will be enough room for both of you.

Price is a bit high. But considering
all the advantages you will get from Nemo Hornet, I think it will worth every
penny.

A high volume hub to increase strength and maximize
living space without putting weight.

Large dual zipper doors and steep wall
construction.

Fast Fly setup opportunity.

One fly vent

Patterned double rip-stop durable fabric.

Reflective guylines and webbing on corners.

The Copper Spur HV UL series is a big name in the market. Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL Backpacking Tent lives up to its name. The tent is built to be as roomy as possible while retaining the tag of ultra-light backpacking shelter.

It develops a high volume pole architecture that maximizing strength as well as increase interior space. The technique is amazing. It increases space by 20% without increasing weight. It also increases strength by 25%. It’s not only the interior space that Big Agnes has made bigger. Its dual zipper door ensures easy entry/exit and smooth closure.

Big Agnes main target is to be as user-friendly as possible. It’s a freestanding tent. Setting up the tent is quick and easy and so is dissembling. Two-tone mesh gives privacy as well as transparency for stargazing. Massive ceiling pocket and large vestibules provide great storage space. It’s sturdy enough to withstand any kind of rough weather. You will be completely safe in storm, rain or snow. Unlike most of the solo backpacking tent, it has enough space for big guys. It’s well ventilated too.

Big Agnes is always a number one choice for the bikers. It has a unique design. Given all the features, I don’t think it’s very costly.

Flysheet is crafted from high quality double-sided silicone-coated 15 D nylon ripstop fabric with a waterproof rating of PU 2000mm.

B3 high-precision breathable nylon gauze inner tent

Aluminum alloy poles with high elasticity

Weight: 780 g

People who love adventures, who love outdoor activities, who love to go out in the wilderness, this is the right tent for them. It’s not a tent for some luxurious vacation camping. The tent is specially designed to be ultra-light, durable, flexible and compact. It weighs only 780 g. It’s lighter even for a backpacking solo tent.

Its double-sided silicon coated fabric makes it completely waterproof. The floor is made of oxford fabric is free from leakage. Its B3 high-precision breathable nylon net is just what you need for a cool mosquito free interior. It’s definitely one of the best tents for bike touring if you want to go to a mosquito infested area.

It gets a little sophisticated to give priority on weight and compactness. So this is really a tent for advanced users. The tent is ideal for an arduous adventure like hiking, biking, climbing, etc. where a little weight reduction could give you real comfort. The vestibule has enough space for your gear. Interior is not spacious but I think you don’t mind too much. It will keep you safe in a rough stormy night.

I just love this tent. It’s way too light and the price is also surprisingly reasonable. If you are a hiker or a biker, then you come across the right tent.

Eureka! Solitaire is a tent for young bikers. It’s compact, lightweight and most importantly pretty much affordable for young people. It’s not a freestanding tent. But assembly is quite simple. You can pack easily in a small bag. 50D no-see-um mesh made wall keep the air circulation maximize.

Floor and rainfly are made of 75D polyester with 1200-millimeter fabric coating to keep you dry and warm from rain and snow. It’s a three-season Bivy style tent. It can tackle almost any kind of rough weather.

It has a small vestibule for backpacking gears. It has also two storage pocket to keep small valuable items like a phone, key, charger, etc. organized. It has zipper roofs for extra exit/entry. It’s pretty simple to use and doesn’t need much time for maintenance and cleaning. But the interior is not so roomy. So you may have to face some problem if you are very tall.

Eureka has a century-old history in tent making. They have come to their present status through integrity, craftsmanship, and ingenuity. A backpacking tent is their specialty. Eureka! Solitaire is a new addition to their glory. It’s not just popular among young hikers or backpackers. It’s the tent that they can rely on in their wild adventure.

Marmot Limelight is popular among backpackers for its simplicity and comfort. Setup is quite easy. It is designed to keep a minimum weight and a spacious interior. It makes the backpacking camping luxurious. The tent is perfect for two bikers.

I think those who love company in biking, Marmot Limelight is a great choice for them. It has a super-sized double door and rears D-shaped door for easy and quick entry/exit. This leaves two side large vestibules to store your gear. There is an interior pocket to keep small things like torch, key, phone safe.

The tent is a safe shelter during bad weather. High bathtub floor and rainfly make the tent completely waterproof during the heavy rain. The camping style tent remains very stable in stormy weather. Ventilation is exceptionally excellent. It’s a great tent to sleep in muddy hot weather. Lamp Shade Pocket perfectly holds the headlamp to provide pleasant light.

Marmot Limelight is an example of master craftsmanship. Very few backpacking tents are as comfy and spacious as Marmot Limelight. It doesn’t compromise comfort to be lightweight. The tent tries to be as user-friendly as possible. It’s a total package for the backpackers. It’s comfy, roomy, sturdy, lightweight and well ventilated. Marmot Limelight is a wise choice for the bikers.

The North Face Stormbreak 2 is a great tent for the bikers. If you ride to a windy place, then this is the right tent for you. It’s a three season two person tent. The tent is easy to set. You don’t have to bother about instruction. The door and room are larger for a backpacking tent. No need for crawling inside the tent anymore.

The high-low airflow ventilation is very helpful to keep the interior cool in excessive heat. The double vestibule design will give you more than enough room to keep your gear. For this wonderful outdoor storage facility, you can keep your room in better shape. The mesh walls allow optimal stargazing.

The tent may not the lightest tent but it is very spacious. In fact, three people can fit in this tent. If you desire the tent to be lighter, then leave the main body for the lightweight fast-pitch option. As the name suggests, it is really a very dependable tent in the storm and heavy rainfall.

The North Face Stormbreak 2 is
designed to make backpacking comfortable. It is durable and crafted from the
quality materials. If you can carry a little more weight on your bike, then I
think the North Face is your tent. It is quite cheap for a large roomy bike friendly
backpacking tent.

Zippered mesh doors and large mesh side panels for maximum ventilation.

The mesh helps to get good air circulation and it will also protect you from the bug.

Micro mesh to enjoy the outdoor scenario.

Two large D-shaped doors for easy entry/ext.

Weight: 5.2lb.

Bessport Camping Tent is an amazing inexpensive backpacking tent for hikers and bikers. This is one of those tents that make camping truly fun. It’s a dome style tent. The setup/assembly instruction is very simple. The interior is roomy and comfortable to move around.

The tent is well crafted to handle rough weather. Durable super quality aluminum poles and stakes and high-performance guyline ensures effective wind resistance. Durable polyester rainfly will you completely dry during rain. You may want to have a Footprint to make sure a moist free floor.

The tent has some wonderful features for ventilation. Zippered mesh doors and sizable mesh side panels offer maximum air circulation inside the tent. There is micro-mesh for you to enjoy an outdoor scenario. The mesh keeps the fine airflow while keeping the annoying insects outside the tent. The right combination of solid fabric panels and mesh keep the inside warm and fresh. There are two vestibules to keep your gear safe and dry.

The tent is for two people. If you are all alone in your biking journey, then it’s almost like a hotel room. It’s a great tent for the bikers for the rough weather.

NEMO Galaxi is a name of fun for backcountry travelers. It’s spacious and at the same time lightweight. You don’t see these two features in backpacking tents too often. It’s stylish, packable and goes well with biking, hiking, camping, fishing, and other backcountry tours.

Nemo has a simple design. It is a freestanding tent. You can set it up within a minute. Seam-sealed well ventilated rainfly to keep you dry from the rain. The mesh keeps the air circulation right, keeps the annoying insects outside the tent and allows a nice stargazing view. The footprint saves the floor from damping.

The interior is roomy. Pre-bent poles further maximize interior space. There are dual front and rear vestibules. These are very spacious and you can keep all your gear, boots and other stuff without any difficulties. The tent is overall well crafted. The design is also clever and up to date.

NEMO Galaxi is without a doubt one of the best tents for bike touring. The price is also very reasonable. It may be a bit heavy for a backpacking tent. But it has room for two people. And it’s not that heavy for a bike rider.

Pros:

Easy setup

Roomy

Watertight

Freestanding

Insect-protected

Good air circulation

Cons:

A bit heavy

Final Thoughts

Where it’s a bicycle or motorcycle, biking is fun and adventurous. You need an excellent tent to enjoy the biking tour properly. The best tents for bike touring list tries to capture all these features that make a tent bike friendly.

But in spite of all these considerations, you may not find every tent appealing. Some prefer a very lightweight tent at the expanse of space, others don’t mind to carry a little more weight to get a spacious tent, some demand their tent should be spacious and lightweight.

The style, color, design, durability, and comfort also play an important role to select a tent. We all have different tests. I think this list will be helpful for you to find a bike friendly tent.